What is a fractional CTO?
A fractional CTO is a part-time senior technical leader who owns product, architecture, hiring, and vendor decisions with the founder — without a full-time executive salary.
Key takeaways
- Owns technical decisions part-time — not just tickets
- Best for non-technical founders, stalled builds, vendor chaos
- Different from freelancers and agencies
What does a fractional CTO actually do week to week?
Product calls, architecture, hiring, vendor checks, delivery judgment, and AI decisions grounded in shipping.
Frequently asked questions
Is a fractional CTO the same as a part-time CTO?
In practice yes — senior judgment on a part-time cadence with real accountability.